The present invention pertains in general to insulators and more particularly to line-receiving insulators of the same general type as that disclosed in my Patents No. 758,175, issued April 26, 1904, and No.1,620,804, issued March 15, 1927.

The insulator of my present invention, like that of my patent, includes a body portion and a projecting or hook portion which cooperates with the body portion to define a slot communicating with a pocket located between the two portions. Also, the insulator is provided with a pair of spaced holes or apertures for enabling the insulator to be fastened to a suitable support.

While the insulator of my Patent 1,620,804 is very efficient in many respects, I have found that it is open to two objections-- it does not possess proper mechanical strength to resist severe strains, and its insulating properties when used under conditions of extreme moisture are not as high as desirable. The lack of mechanical strength is attributable to the fact that the opening or pocket which receives the wires is disposed at a very decided acute angle to the base of the insulator, this angle being somewhat less than 40 degrees. This renders it necessary to enlarge the lower portion of the pocket relative to the upper portion to properly retain the wires. As a result, the pocket is unsymmetrical and the material between the innermost portion of the pocket and the base of the body of the insulator, and between the lowermost point of the pocket and the lower end of the insulator, the two points subjected to the greatest strains, is so reduced in thickness as not to possess the mechanical strength to resist the severe strains to which the insulator is subjected during severe windstorms or under other conditions causing violent swaying of the trees or similar supports to which the insulators are applied. When this insulator is used in wet weather or under conditions of moisture there is a tendency for a film or coating of moisture to form between the pocket and the ears of the supporting member, resulting in leakage. I have found that the mechanical weakness can be avoided by having the pocket disposed at an increased angle, approximately 60 degrees, to the base of the insulator, and symmetrical with respect to a plane passing through the pocket and the entrance passage or slot leading thereto. This gives a very material increase in thickness of material at the points subjected to greatest strains. By providing suitable ribs about the inner portion of the pocket I prevent leakage to the supporting member due to the formation of a moisture film. This increases the insulating properties of the insulator, and these ribs also serve to very materially increase the mechanical strength of that portion of the insulator which is subjected to the most severe strains in use.

My present insulator differs from that of my prior patents, particularly that of my Patent 1,620,804 in that it has a laterally projecting rib on each of its sides located between the pocket and the pair of spaced apertures, and in that the pocket is symmetric about an oblique plane extending through the center of the slot of the insulator. The pocket and slot are preferably inclined outwardly and away from the body portion.

The insulator is fastened to a mounting member including two pairs of ears, which embrace the body portion of the insulator adjacent the holes therein. A fastening element or bolt extends through each of the holes in the insulator for securing the body portion to the contiguous pair of ears of the mounting member.

The laterally projecting rib or flange provides additional insulation between the pocket and the mounting member. In fact, this rib serves to prevent any moisture which might accumulate on the side of the insulator from a short circuiting the line in the pocket. Then, too, the pair of ribs on the sides of the insulator resist stresses imposed on the insulator adjacent the pocket and thus greatly increase the strength of the device.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment thereof and, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of my novel insulator illustrating it as being applied to a tree.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on substantially the line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on substantially the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and 

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, looking downwardly.

Referring now to the drawings in detail in which like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views, 10 denotes generally the insulator of my invention, 11 represents the mounting for the insulator and 12 indicates the support or tree to which the mounting is fastened.

The insulator 10 comprises a body portion 13 substantially rectangular shape and a projecting or hook portion 14 spaced from and cooperating with the body portion to define an oblique slot 15 and a pocket 16. The pocket 16 is adapted to receive a conductor 17. It will be noted that the pocket 16 is disposed symmetrically about an inclined plane represented by the line X-X in Figure 1.  This plane extends substantially through the center of the oblique slot 15 communicating with the pocket 16. Both the pocket 16 and the slot 15 are inclined upwardly and outwardly away from the body portion 13. By inclining the pocket I find that I am enabled to employ a shorter hook portion 14 and to make the insulator considerably lighter and smaller.

To prevent the cable or conductor 17, when installed, from lodging and getting pinched in any way, I have shaped the pocket 16 so its inner curvature is nowhere small enough to permit it to pinch the largest line or cable that can be inserted through the slot 15.  Referring to Figure 1, it will be observed that the hook portion 14 has a prong 18 and the body portion 13 has a prong 19, which prongs partly define the curvature of the pocket 16.

The hook portion 14 is provided with a curved portion 20 disposed adjacent the prong 18. This curvature 20 has a radius of substantially half the width of the oblique slot 15. The curved portion 20 connects with a curved portion 21 having a relatively great radius. Also, disposed between the prong 19 and the curvature 21 is a curved portion 22 the radius of

which is equal to substantially half the width of the slot 15. Thus it will be readily apparent that it is impossible for the largest line or cable that can be inserted in the insulator through the slot 15 from becoming wedged back of either of the two Prongs 18 and 19. Moreover, the surface defining the pocket 16 is preferably glazed throughout so as to provide a smooth surface for the conductor 17 to engage, thus preventing the insulator from abrading or cutting into the insulation of the cable.

The body portion 13, as best shown in Figure 3, is provided with a pair of spaced holes or apertures 23 and 24 adapted to enable the insulator to be fastened to the mounting 11. Each side of the insulator 10 is provided with a curved laterally extending rib or flange 25 located between the pocket 16 and the openings 23 and 24. This flange or rib 25 provides additional insulation between the pocket and the mounting 11. Moreover, the rib serves

 to prevent any moisture which might accumulate on the side of the insulator from short circuiting the line in the pocket, as is readily evident. Then, too, the two ribs 25 resist the shearing stresses imposed on the insulator adjacent the pocket and thus add greatly to the strength of the insulator.

The portion of the body portion 13 between the openings 23 and 24, as best shown in Figures 1 and 2, is recessed at 26 in order to lighten the insulator. Also, the side of the insulator adjacent the mounting 11 is preferably provided with a corrugated arcuate surface 27 which rests on the back piece 28 of the mounting 11.

The back piece 28 is arcuate in shape and has formed integral therewith two pairs of laterally extending ears 30 adapted to embrace the side of the body portion 13 adjacent the openings 23 and 24.  The entire mounting is preferably made of suitable metal such, for example, as galvanized iron.  A bolt 31 extends through each of the openings 23 and 24 in the insulator and serves to secure the insulator to the associated pair of laterally extending ears 30.  A nut 32 is threaded upon the end of each of the bolts 31. It will, therefore, be evident that the insulator is readily detachable from the mounting 11.

The back piece 28 of the mounting 11 is provided with two circular depressions 33-33, each of which is located immediately behind the corresponding pair of ears 30. Each of these depressions 33 is also provided with an axial opening 34 adapted to receive a screw or nail 35 by means of which the mounting member is fastened to the support or tree 12. The head of each screw or nail 35 is lodged in the associated depression 33, as best shown in Figure 4.

Also, it should be noted that one of the transverse openings in the insulator, namely, opening 23, is disposed above the pocket 16 and the other opening 24 is disposed below the pocket 16. Each of these openings is adapted to register with openings or holes 37 in the associated ears 30.

In practice, the mounting 11 is first nailed or screwed to the tree trunk, pole, building, or other Support 12 in the desired position. Thereafter the insulator is inserted in the mounting and the bolts are applied to tightly clamp the insulator to the ears 30. Then the conductor, or conductors, is passed through the slot 15 into the pocket 16.

Now I desire it understood that although I have illustrated and described in detail the preferred embodiment of my invention, the invention is not to be thus limited but only in so far as defined by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:-

1. In an insulator, a body, a projection associated with the body having its free end spaced from said body to form a line-receiving slot which communicates with a pocket defined on one side by the body and on the other side by the projection, said body having transverse holes for enabling it to be fastened to an object, and a laterally projecting rib disposed between the holes and the pocket for strengthening the insulator at the pocket and for increasing the insulation between the holes and the pocket.

2. In combination, an insulator having a pocket for receiving a wire conductor, a mounting member comprising a back piece against which the insulator may be disposed, said back piece having connected thereto two pairs of ears extending laterally therefrom, one pair being adapted to embrace the upper portion of the insulator and the other pair being adapted to embrace the lower portion of the insulator, a member connecting each pair of ears and extending through the adjacent portion of the insulator for securing it to the insulator, and a fastening element back of each pair of ears for enabling the mounting member to be attached to a suitable support, said insulator having formed integral with it a laterally projecting rib between the pocket and the fastening members for strengthening the insulator at the pocket and for preventing moisture from short circuiting the conductor in the pocket through the fastening members.

3. In an insulator, a substantially rectangular body provided with a wire receiving opening and a slot leading thereto from the upper front portion of the body and inclined downwardly and rearwardly of the body, the opening being symmetrical to the central longitudinal plane of the slot, and insulating and reinforcing ribs projecting laterally from the body and extending alongside said opening to the rear thereof.

4. In an insulator, a body having a back and sides in rectangular relation, a wire receiving opening passing through said body from side to side, a slot leading to said opening from the upper front portion of the body, and insulating and reinforcing ribs projecting laterally from the sides of said body alongside said opening to the rear thereof.

5. In an insulator, a body having a back and sides in rectangular relation, a pair of holes for the reception of fastening means passing through said body from side to side and disposed toward the back thereof, a wire receiving opening passing through said body from side to side and located forwardly of the vertical plane of said holes, a slot leading to said opening from the upper front portion of the body, and insulating and reinforcing ribs projecting laterally from the sides of said body between said holes and said opening.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 24th day November, 1926.

  SCOTT C. CUTTER.